Eco-Friendly Dating

Maybe I am taking this too far…but are there such things as eco-friendly dates? Now, by “environmentally friendly date” I do not mean planting a tree with your love interest. Although that would be adorably poetic.

So, what comes to mind when you first think of a “green date”? You might think of hiking, walking through the park, having a picnic, riding a tandem bicycle into the sunset while holding hands…

What are some less obvious eco-friendly dates, that still make an impact?

These are some ideas that I have:

1. Dine in >> Cook a romantic dinner at home! You can choose locally grown, package-free foods. You can also compost all of your food waste. I find that cooking at home reduces a lot of individual waste output. Think about how much waste is produced from one order of take-out Chinese. You would also be surprised at how many restaurants do not compost any food waste at all. When you cook at home, you are in control to make more sustainable decisions.

2. Go thrift shopping >> Ok, this might not sound like fun—but it is! Thrift stores, consignment stores, and the Salvation Army are packed with so many interesting artifacts. Every shelf is full of conversation pieces. Purchasing these items is also elongating their product lifecycles (and delaying their trip to a landfill).

3. Build a fort >> We all did it when we were kids. If you didn’t, you are missing out. It can be a fun escape from home—without any cost or extra supplies. You can build and decorate a palace within the means of your house. Clean up is easy too since all of your building materials can be returned to their natural state in your home… hm… I spy an underlying “closed loop” tone here.

4. Brew your own beer >> A lot of my friends have recently gotten into brewing their own beer. It is cheap, fun, and satisfying. Besides the marvelous fact that it is awesome to create your very own beer, think about all of the beer bottles that are being directly recycled and reused. No downcycling here.

Notice how in these cases being sustainable goes hand in hand with being cheap. Two things that I am an expert in.